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So a few weeks back I made a gold leaf suspended bangle. It was my first attempt at casting resin epoxy and I was hooked. Not because of the nasty fumes but just in general. I made this amazing looking bangle for next to nothing when it was all said and done. You know how many compliments I’ve gotten on that thing? It’s insane!
I went ages with this humongous can taking up space in my crafty storage and now I’ve used the whole thing up. There is NOTHING left in that can and all that I’ve made are bangles. Bangles, bangles, bangles. This first experimental go I wanted to have sprinkles and nonpareils suspended in the resin and went and started digging in my long forgotten box of baking supplies (I was starting a baking business when I found out I was Celiac and couldn’t handle gluten therefore making my chosen occupation a bit medically inadvisable) and dug my little fancy toppers out.
For this experimentation I used:
- Easy Cast resin
- bangle molds
- I’m eyeballing this bangle mold set, though
- various sprinkles and nonpareils (the sprinkles in this listing are waaaay prettier)
My very first go I used some black, blue, green and white nonpareils. I mixed up the resin, added the sprinkles, just like I did with the gold leaf, poured it into the molds and walked away.
When I popped them out of the molds the next day I was so disappointed. Everything sank to the bottom!
But they look really cook from the top. They sat on my desk for a few weeks and I’ve decided that I like them now. What had been a disappointment turned out to be pretty neat looking so I’m cool with that.
So next I busted out some traditional sprinkles. Since I knew they would sink I just filled the bangle mold with them and poured the clear resin right over them. I tapped the bottom a few times to get resin in all of the nooks and crannies and, again, walked off.
Oh my. What a hot mess is this? The pic above really doesn’t do it justice. In real life it looks at least 65% worse than that. Basically that’s just way, way too many sprinkles and I think the brown ones don’t do a thing to improve the situation. Plus there are bunches of air bubbles. In spite of failure, that was all of those kind of sprinkles I had on hand so it’s time to move on and dig out the next little bottle out of the box.
Now this one I tried to layer. I poured just a tiny bit and put the nonpareils. A seriously tiny amount. I figured it would take 10-12 passes to make a bracelet but I was going to do this! When I came back to see how things were going I was so disappointed. I had no idea that there was enough for them to sink! So I mixed up more acrylic with so many of the little nonpariels and it filled half of my two bangle molds. So I left it and came back later. It wasn’t perfect (see the strips of clear every once in a while) but I was happy enough with it so I mixed up another batch and poured it on top.
The end result is actually much, much prettier in real life. Russell doesn’t give a fig about most of my stuff but he came across the room to ask what it was (and it was tucked partially under stuff because Marla, one of my cats, also thought it was worth looking at. Or batting of the desk and to who knows where.)
I learned that you cannot sand these suckers down though, so you need to have your molds sitting someplace very level and you have to be very careful to pour as evenly as possible with as little hanging over the edges. If you try to sand them and get into a piece of a sprinkle, the sprinkle itself just falls apart and then you have a gaping hole.
Unfortunately I can’t tell you how to not have them sink directly to the bottom. But perhaps it is something I will be able to share with a bit more effort. I’ve already begun round 2 of he resin experiments but, as stated, I’ve already run out of the good stuff. Looks like a trip to Hobby Lobby is in order!
What about you? Have you tried resin? Are you addicted to it? Happy Weekend!
I think you did a lovely job. I have tried today, for the very first time. I have no idea if it is going to turn out, never mind turning out good. LOL I’m not going anywhere near it until tomorrow. Hugs, joey
That is so awesome! My little sister would love this! We are going to ave to make it together. :o) Thanks, Allison!
Oh, yay! I actually made a ton for my little sister (she’s 30 :) and she LOVES them! I hope you and your sis have a fantastic time!
I have never used resin, but have thought about it. Where do you get the molds? Do you spray them with oil or something before pouring in the resin? Where do you get the resin, home improvement store or craft store? And is it the same kind of resin like for a table?
You can purchase the molds online at someplace like amazon (there are links in the needed items list before the the tutorial portion of the post). You can also purchase them in store at craft stores like Michael’s or Hobby Lobby. I’m not sure what the difference is between resin purchased at craft stores and hardware stores, I only purchase mine as craft quality, specifically Easy Cast. Last of all, I do not treat my molds with anything though they do sell little bottles of easy release.
These are so cute! I’m loving your blog!
Thanks so much for visiting and taking the time to leave such a sweet comment! I love your blog, too1
Nice little tutorial.
Confused- though there is a risk of cross contamination in handling gluten products, none of the literature says you are banned from handling gluten products unless a skin reaction or anaphalactoid reactions occur. Do those apply to you? Or do you not handle gluten to avoid cross contamination?
With this being the digital age, there is always someone who will come across this and misinterpret…You know how people can be!
Though I’m hardly an expert, there definitely is a risk whenever handling any kind of gluten products and I do get a skin reaction. I specifically called the maker of each bottle of sprinkles I used to be sure that they would be safe for me. The bracelets are actually for my sister who doesn’t have any gluten intolerance whatsoever but I didn’t want to accidentally make myself sick while working with them. In the end, I find that it’s always best to just not handle things that I know have gluten, but everybody has to make that call for themselves!
Oh my goodness, Nette – I think that sounds amazing. I'm really hoping you'll try it!!!
Hi, Barbara – I'm not sure about the alcohol, very sorry!
Hey chicky, how bout inserting mini artificial florals and leaves into a wide band resin bangle. I envision that it would look like a gardendial frozen-in-animation….whatdaya think? (nail biting)
I seem to remember something about spraying with alcohol. Can you do this to the mold after you pour the resin?
Thanks, Sami. I think that they would make excellent gifts. My sister has already asked for several!! :)
This is so great!! what a cute gift or party favor idea :). I have worked with resin as well for the products in my Etsy store (www.etsy.com/shop/mihaby) however I have never made anything that large with resin before or working with a mold. Great work!
Thanks for the tip Divya. I'll have to give that a go!
I have never made resin bangles, but made a lot of pendants and earrings. There are a couple of things you could do..first put some sprinklers and then resin (this will sink) wait for a few minutes and then add remaining resin slowly adding the sprinkles in between. The time gap will help the resin set and hold the sprinkles in place. Wait atleast a good 1-2 hours before pouring the top layer of resin
Wow, ladies! Thanks so much for all of the sweet compliments!
Angela – I have NO clue how one would make a helmet out of resin, but I must admit I'm intrigued!!
Kelly – you aren't the first nor the last to be duped by the call of the clearance bin. So sorry – how frustrating!
Elba – Of course :)
Lauren – Determination sounds awfully positive. I think I often run toward the hard-headed end of the spectrum of determination, but thanks!
You amaze me with your perseverance and determination to problem solve…and the end result was SO worth it. Thanks for bringing us along for each step of the way and sharing your process. I can see why you're getting so many compliments. These bracelets are one-of-a-kind!
Ohh so cute! I want to eat them
Thanks for the idea Allison. xoxo Elba
I tried this recently with "glow-in-the-dark" sand. Got the same result with it sinking to the bottom. Also found out that the sand doesn't actually glow. No wonder it was in the clearance bin. :P
I love the first one actually…kind of looks like the rimming sugar/salt on a margarita….lol. These are insanely creative. My husband wants to mold up a Star Wars helmet some day, and I can't wait to snag some of the extra to try out making bangles with my nieces.
Sara – that is genius!! Seriously I used half a can and that never crossed my mind! Will definitely give it a go :) thanks so much
I'm by no means calling myself an expert but I've found that to keep them from sinking as much if you will wait until the resin was cured to a more tacky consistency and then start dropping your stuff in. Let me know if it works for you.
No problem at all, Onel! Even though I am a total noob, I absolutely love working with the resin. Hoping to spread the bug :)
Wow! I agree, the first bangle looks really good from top! (the colors are perfect!)
Glad that the last one turns out great and it looks delicious too! I've never worked with resin before, so these do-s and don't-s (with pictures) are so helpful. Thank you for sharing :)